Hibiscus Flowers, Central America

I never get tired of looking at the majestic Hibiscus flower in all its various diaphanous colours.

There are a lot of hibiscus plants in Central America. You can spot them growing along the sides of roads like forlorn weeds. They adorn fences and hedges like brilliant scarves of warming colours. They tenaciously display themselves in dusty, overgrown lots for all the world to admire.

Some hibiscus are used for making herbal teas, some for making jams. In Polynesia the fibers in the bark are used for making grass skirts and wigs. Some natives of southern India use the flowers for hair care. It is even used as offerings to goddesses in the Hindu worship. Amazing. Not just another pretty flower.

I pass by one particular plant everyday on my journey to exploring my new community. We have grown accustomed to seeing each other, and I have grown into an admirer of hers. She lets me fumble my attempts with a clunky camera to try and capture some of the essence of her. Her spirit. She never fails to delight me and lift my selfness, in a world where she is not nurtured, tended to, caressed or particularly loved overly much. In spite of all that, she stands tall and brilliant and still puts the show on to say "I am here, and I am still beautiful. If you choose to look, you can share my secrets, too."

I am learning her secrets.

Flying Over El Salvador, Central America

I've always loved flying. I just don't like airports. But I'll even put up with dancing barefoot through some kind of fancy detectors and setting alarms off to find those long lost coins in my forgotten pockets for a view like this.

I was lucky enough to fly over El Salvador in Central America, along with a few other countries. Can't really tell where one country starts and another one ends from the air. I like that. Makes me feel like the world really is one place and not a jigsaw puzzle of pieces that man has divided for himself.

El Salvador is gorgeous and green. She also has over 20 volcanoes in her wardrobe. Mother Nature seems to have a few tantrums every so often with volcanic eruptions and earthquakes here. From the air, she is stunningly arrayed in ephemeral shades, and touched with the softest white pearl clouds I have ever seen. She has called to place deep within me.

I left my nose print on the plane window. She knows I'll be back to taste more of her hidden secrets and beautiful dangers.

Lake Nicaragua, Central America

Lake Nicaragua in Central America, is called the "Sweet Sea" or Mar Dulce, because of its fresh water. Sea is no exaggeration as Lake Nicaragua is huge. Over 8,000 square kilometers. You can't see the opposite side even on a good day.

Lake Nicaragua has all kinds of pirate tales connected to her. Because of the San Juan River in the south that connects the lake to the Caribbean Sea, ships navigated their way into the lake and sacked the city of Granada a few times. Blood and mayhem always make for a good tale or two. Even a few blockbuster movies.

Before the Panama Canal was built, engineers had looked at making a canal using Lake Nicaragua, calling it the Nicaragua Canal. Great idea but it never came to pass.

Today, Lake Nicaragua is home to the only fresh water shark in the world. This isn't just a rumor. I have seen the fins slicing through the water on a trip I took to Ometepe Island. No one seems to be particularly scared of the sharks as people swim all the time in the lake. Never heard of anyone disappearing. So far.

There is a lot of history here on the lake. From Ometepe and Zapatera Islands and their petroglyph's, to tales of William Walker and various pirates of the Caribbean, Lake Nicaragua is steeped in mysteries, old and new, waiting to be discovered. And its a great place to cool off on a hot afternoon in Granada.

Rice Production in Central America

I always thought rice was grown in far off, foreign places overseas somewhere. Central America is home to vast rice producing areas.

I know very little about rice, except it tastes pretty good with a lot of butter on it. It's used in almost every country in the world as a food staple. I'm sure everyone has a favorite rice recipe that comes to mind when you see the word.

Rice is pretty versatile. There are several different varieties, as well as lots of interesting things made from it. Everything from oil and wine, to ethanol. The hard outer shell of rice is called bran.

I even found a variety of rice called "Forbidden Rice" that is dark purple when cooked. And "Nakazuke" are vegetables fermented in rice bran.

I have just as much fun researching all this information as I do taking the photos!

National Zoo of Nicaragua

I recently spent an enjoyable day at the National Zoo of Nicaragua, the Parqueo Zoologica Nicaragua.

There is a very impressive butterfly enclosure there. I don't know a lot about butterflies, but I like the names they've been given. Hairstreaks and brushfoots, monarchs and glasswings. The longer I walked among their serene beauty, the more I wanted to learn about them.

Some butterflies actually migrate. Monarch butterflies are capable of making transatlantic crossing. The Glasswing butterfly has see-through wings.

I also learnt that butterflies display lekking behaviour. I know, I had to look that one up myself. Lekking is where a group of males, usually the same ones, get together, usually in the same place, to show off for the purpose of attracting a beautiful mate. Kind of like your local trendy coffee shops. Man imitating nature. I might leave the classical lek and exploding lek behaviour for another post. I'm still trying to stop laughing from this one.

Plants of Central America

Bougainvillea is such an odd name for such a beautiful plant. I never get tired of seeing all the various shades and colours of this flower in all its glorious settings. There are hotels and resorts borrowing its name to describe their properties. Understandably.

There are a lot of plants here that are used for medicinal purposes. Everything from a reported cure for cancer to treating skin conditions.

I've even discovered a whole branch of science I never knew existed. Ethnobotany, which studies the relationship between plants and cultures. When I look at the intricacies of life and its inter reactions, I feel humbled and proud all at the same time. And develop a hunger to know more about this incredible world we live in.

Fire Ants of Cental America

Ever since coming to Central America, I have discovered these little critters. They look innocent enough, just plain ol' ants, right? You see them everywhere in the world. You tend to ignore them.

Wrong. These little guys have jaws of steel. They bite, and run off with a chunk of your flesh for a fast food take-away. People here call them fire ants. No kidding.

I had no idea there were so many hundreds of different kinds of ants. All shapes and sizes and colors. They even have different kinds of legs, bodies, and eyes. Kind of like humans I guess. I know a few people that have a stinging personality. Nice eyes, though.

I've seen some Leaf Cutter ants here in Central America. They are fascinating to watch as they demolish a plant into pieces and tote it off through the jungle to their home. They seem to have a purpose. Go out and work and bring home the bacon so to speak.

I'm sure the fire ants must have a purpose. I just haven't discovered it yet. But I do admit to committing "ant-icide" more times than I can count. And I get a certain amount of pleasure in swatting the little things into another ant life somewhere. Bug spray also brings tremendous satisfaction.

San Jose, Costa Rica

Costa Rica is between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America.

San Jose is the capital as well as the largest city in Costa Rica. Her people are warm, friendly and extremely welcoming.

After spending months in Granada, Nicaragua, it was a very nice sojourn to come to San Jose and enjoy the cooler temperatures that her elevation offers. Honest, I needed a blanket at night. I had real goose bumps, the first I had seen in many months of traveling throughout Central America. Nice surprise to know they are still alive and well.

San Jose is an amazing city to walk around. There is so much to discover here, universities, museums, arts and entertainment. The old sits alongside the new and both seem to dance in a harmony of life that is truly impressive. I sat in a coffee house enjoying some very good Costa Rican brew, in a old building that housed the now new post office. It blended together perfectly, like the milk in a latte.

I will return often, not only to have a reunion with my almost forgotten goose bumps. But to enjoy this exciting city of culture and history. A true balm for the senses.

Honduras, Central America

I took a couple days to get through Honduras, which certainly doesn't do this jaw-dropping-incredible-scenery country justice.

There are uncountable miles of sugar cane fields set amid a backdrop of rolling hills and thunderstorms. Something out of "The Earth is Being Born" movie making material.

Hurricane Felix went through part of Honduras, wrecking havoc and lives. Life just seems so ironic and unjust sometimes. The areas effected are the hardest to reach in terms of aid and support.

I waited out Hurricane Felix in Guatemala. I am chicken of submitting myself to Mother Natures snarky moods on the world. I like peace and calm and blue skies. But to know and understand what makes life good, we need to experience the bad. Maybe not first hand anymore. I think I may be getting too old for the Hurricane Parties.

On to more serene adventures!